Before I Fall

“It amazes me how easy it is for things to change, how easy it is to start off down the same road you always take and wind up somewhere new. Just one false step, one pause, one detour, and you end up with new friends or a bad reputation or a boyfriend or a breakup. It’s never occurred to me before; I’ve never been able to see it. And it makes me feel, weirdly, like maybe all of these different possibilities exist at the same time, like each moment we live has a thousand other moments layered underneath it that look different.”

Every day for seven days, Samantha Kingston wakes up on February 12th and every night for seven nights, Samantha Kingston dies. After accepting being stuck in the same day, Samantha tries to figure out what she can do differently to change her impending outcome. Along the way she gains sight of what truly matters, and has to make it all right. Will Samantha’s change of encounters ultimately change her fate?
The characters in this book, among Samantha were her 3 best friends; Lindsay, Elody, and Ally. The boyfriend she only dreamed of having, Rob Cokran. The “weird, psycho” girl who everyone made fun of, Juliet Sykes. And the boy from third grade who had an undying love for Sam, Kent McFuller.
My favorite character in this book had to be Samantha. When first meeting her I could not stand her or her stupid friends. Why? Because they are mean girls. They are bitches. As the story unfolds, we learn more about Sam’s relationships with each girl. I for one, try to not be judgmental of others and left closing this book feeling ridiculously disappointed in myself. You get to know each character and empathy reaches a new level with every. single. one. of them. Samantha most of all has the most growth and it is (unfortunately) because of her experiences. Her character really encompasses a woman’s journey from high school to adulthood. Although unfortunate in many aspects, I believe she was very fortunate to learn things at her age rather than later on in life like the most of us.
I can’t express enough how much I fell in love with this book. To date, this is one of my favorite reads. It was extremely tough having to close this book to get back to real life mainly because the feeling of connection, the curiosity, and the need for more. Every second of free time I had available you better believe my nose was stuck in this book.
The last Lauren Oliver books I read were her Delirium trilogy. If I’m being 100% honest with you guys they were not my favorite. I remember being so intrigued from the storyline and it fell flat. I think the best decision I made was to not let the past sway me away from opening another book of Lauren Oliver’s. This book may have some hype because it will soon be a motion picture; but holy hell, the hype is REAL for a reason.
For the most part this book is for everyone. I believe YA would benefit most from the content and moral of the story. If you like the mystery of not knowing, if you seek page turners–go to Amazon right now, head to your closest bookstore or library. Do yourself the favor of reading this captivating novel. Then treat yourself on March 3rd and see this masterpiece come to life!